Girls state track & field roundup
[May 26, 2026]
Piper Tyson finishes 11th in State in discus
Mount Pulaski junior Piper Tyson finished in 11th place in the
discus in the IHSA Class 1A Girls State Track and Field
Championships at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston on
Saturday.
Tyson threw 118’ 5” in the finals.
Tyson is looking forward to the Hammer throw this summer. It is her
favorite event and she is ranked nationally.
Three Railsplitters medal at State
It was a great day on Saturday for three LCHS Railsplitters at the
2026 IHSA Class 2A Girls State Track and Field Championships in
Charleston.
Lincoln’s Taylor Short, Addy Varner and Addy Campbell each reached
the podium to collect medals at O’Brien Field.
Taylor Short finished in fourth place in the 800m with a new PR of
2:13.70. Remember, Short is a freshman and this is an incredible
debut for her in the state finals.
Addy Varner set a new school record with a PR of 38.18m in the
discus and that put her in 6th place in the state. That translates
to a throw of 125’ 3”. Varner is a junior and no doubt will go out
strong her senior year.
Addy Campbell achieved a medal with a 7th place finish in the 100m
hurdles. She ran the hurdles in 15.61. Campbell is an impressive
sophomore.
Coach Jenna Crombie was very proud of her track and field athletes
following their success at the state meet.
“Each girl performed well on Friday and Saturday, which is so
difficult to do,” said Crombie.
“Addy Varner’s first throw in Prelims was a beauty and secured her a
spot in the finals,” continued Crombie. “She did the same thing on
Saturday, throwing a PR on her first throw. She was really focused
and prepared. Throws coach Chuck McFadden had her ready to perform.
We are excited to see what Addy’s senior year brings.”
“Addy Campbell’s progress this season in the hurdles has been
impressive. She is performing better than we expected this early in
her career. With her dedication to her craft I foresee a state
championship in her future,” said Crombie.
“Taylor Short is a fierce competitor. We stopped being surprised by
her accomplishments because she just goes after it. Our goal in the
800 final was to push past her comfort zone and run the first lap a
little faster than usual to stay with the lead pack. She likes to
sit and kick but we knew with the fast pace she needed to go out in
at least a 1:04 first lap. She did that and was able to close strong
in a 1:09. We are working on being ok with being uncomfortable. She
is going to be a very special athlete to watch the rest of her
career,” said Crombie.
Crombie nailed it with that last comment about Taylor Short. To
repeat, “She is going to be a very special athlete to watch the rest
of her career.”
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The history of LCHS track and field athletes is very decorated with
medals and highlighted with record-breaking seasons. It’s certainly
fun to get in on the ground level of a young athlete’s career and
watch him or her build a legacy right before our eyes.
In this particular case, that young athlete is Taylor Short. The
name is recognizable around Lincoln, as her older siblings, Mallory
and Preston, are standout athletes themselves.
Taylor Short has put in the work and she achieved phenomenal success
at her first state meet at Eastern Illinois University on Friday and
Saturday.
“I personally had a great experience at the state meet,” said Short.
“I ended up getting 21st in the 1600, 4th in the 800, and our 4x400
team placed 23rd overall. It felt so surreal placing so far up in
the 800 and made all the hard work this season well worth it. I hope
to keep moving up the podium each year as well as getting faster and
stronger. Getting the chance to compete with the best in the state
was a great opportunity to show my potential. Overall, I had the
best time competing and spending time with my teammates and
coaches.”
Addy Campbell is building a successful track and field career right
in front of Lincoln fans, too. She’s the younger sister of Parker,
who as a successful hurdler left his own legacy at LCHS
“It felt like such a surreal experience,” said Campbell. “Walking
across the field to the starting line in front of hundreds of people
was unlike anything I’ve ever done. I placed 7th in the 100m hurdles
and got a new PR in the 300m hurdles. All the girls I competed
against were so supportive of each other and cheered for each other,
no matter what happened during the race. Getting to run at the state
meet was the biggest goal I was working towards this season and I am
excited to work harder this summer and come back next year even
stronger. I also want to thank my coaches for pushing me hard this
season.”
Addy Varner is no stranger to the podium. As an eighth grader at
Carroll Catholic she won the IESA Class 1A State Championship in the
discus throw in 2023. She has carved out great success in high
school and looks forward to her senior season.
“I had such an amazing experience at state this year,” said Varner.
“In the back of my head all year my goal had been to make it on the
podium so to have that happen was a true blessing. On my first throw
of prelims I was able to throw a PR of 123’4” which was super
exciting and gave me a ton of confidence going into finals. On
Saturday, again on my first throw I hit another PR of 125’3”. To
throw two PRs at state was an incredible feeling and made all the
work I put in this season feel worth it. The environment at State is
indescribable but it really does bring the best out of a lot of
people and the girls I threw with were so encouraging. I plan to
keep working hard as a senior and hopefully make it back on the
podium next year.
Just to recap the rest of the LCHS athletes competing at State:
The 4x400m relay team of Bailey Tungate, Kyli Lund, Natalie Geary
and Taylor Short finished in the 23rd position with a time of
4:10.95. Addisyn Mauhar was the alternate for this team.
Natalie Geary ran the 400m in the Prelims with a time of 1:00.23.
She finished in 18th place.
Taylor Short finished in 21st place in the 1600m Prelims with a time
of 5:21.52.
Addy Campbell ran the 300m hurdles at 47.97 in the Prelims. She
finished in 19th place.
Congratulations to each of these girls for competing on the last
weekend of the season. It’s truly every high school track and field
athlete’s dream.
[Teena Lowery w/photos from Shaun Tyson and Josh
Short]
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